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Bad Fiction
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Expected 26 Feb 26A stylish, seductive new novel from Rebecca Sarah Ley, winner of a Betty Trask Prize and the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize Sofie Muller can make you into a better writer.
That's why Alice and Walt are desperate to be in her creative writing class. She can spot talent and apply pressure, hone you – if you’re good enough, if you want it enough – into something more elegant, original, daring.
Alice wants it. She wants Sofie's hand guiding hers to greatness, then the book deal, then the prizes and the plaudits.
Still, there is gossip. Sofie will kill your darlings. Sofie will drive you too hard. Sofie’s boundary-pushing is not just professional, it is personal. By the time Alice realises the rumours may be true, is it too late to wriggle free? And if not, is it worth it to get what she always dreamed of?
BAD FICTION is a timely, brilliant novel about fame and mentorship, betrayal and submission, from one of Britain’s brightest young writers.
That's why Alice and Walt are desperate to be in her creative writing class. She can spot talent and apply pressure, hone you – if you’re good enough, if you want it enough – into something more elegant, original, daring.
Alice wants it. She wants Sofie's hand guiding hers to greatness, then the book deal, then the prizes and the plaudits.
Still, there is gossip. Sofie will kill your darlings. Sofie will drive you too hard. Sofie’s boundary-pushing is not just professional, it is personal. By the time Alice realises the rumours may be true, is it too late to wriggle free? And if not, is it worth it to get what she always dreamed of?
BAD FICTION is a timely, brilliant novel about fame and mentorship, betrayal and submission, from one of Britain’s brightest young writers.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 26, 2026
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 24, 2025
There's lots of interesting material here about a famous creative writing tutor who takes advantage of the febrile and vulnerable relationship between students and mentor but the shape of the book feels baggy and as if it takes some time to find its direction. It's also hard to believe in such a villainous creation as Sofie: while it's interesting to overturn the usual gender dynamics, Sophie is just so openly manipulative as well as stupid enough the leave clear evidence of her crimes in a drawer in her office.
It feels as if the book can't decide whether it wants to be a fast-paced page turner or something more thoughtful and literary - and ends up landing, unsatisfactorily, somewhere in between. The writing could be edited more closely too: 'I finally bit into my sandwich. The cheese was rich and tangy and the ham was pleasantly synthetic, like a child's snack' - why do we have to waste our time reading about a pedestrian ham and cheese panini as if we wouldn't have any idea what this was unless the book describes it for us?
So a good central idea but I'm not sure the execution really runs with it sufficiently.
2.5 stars
It feels as if the book can't decide whether it wants to be a fast-paced page turner or something more thoughtful and literary - and ends up landing, unsatisfactorily, somewhere in between. The writing could be edited more closely too: 'I finally bit into my sandwich. The cheese was rich and tangy and the ham was pleasantly synthetic, like a child's snack' - why do we have to waste our time reading about a pedestrian ham and cheese panini as if we wouldn't have any idea what this was unless the book describes it for us?
So a good central idea but I'm not sure the execution really runs with it sufficiently.
2.5 stars
October 1, 2025
Bad Fiction by Rebecca Sarah Ley follows Alice, a graduate student navigating a rigorous creative writing class led by the exacting and often ruthless professor Sofie Muller. Known for transforming promising writers into accomplished ones—though at a steep emotional cost—Sofie sets a high bar for Alice and her classmates as they work toward publishing their novels as part of their dissertations.
The novel offers an intriguing premise, and much of the execution is compelling, especially the phenomenal ending.
What makes this book particularly striking is how it challenges conventional narratives around sexual harassment and assault. Ley flips expectations about who the aggressor can be and explores the complex dynamics of disbelief and victim treatment within these situations. Importantly, while the story includes some detailed consensual sexual scenes, descriptions of the non-consensual relationship are handled sensitively and are not graphic.
A clever narrative device is the inclusion of Reddit posts, including an Am I The Asshole? (AITA) thread, where men discuss experiences of sexual harassment by a professor. This adds a modern, relatable layer to the story.
As a work of literary fiction, Bad Fiction delivers a sharp critique of power imbalances in academia and the troubling culture of tacit approval surrounding sexual harassment and assault within these institutions.
However, the pacing is uneven. At times, the story drags with lengthy descriptions of mundane details that don’t always serve character or plot development.
I do not need to like characters in order to appreciate a book. In this book, while I didn’t find the characters particularly likable, that didn’t diminish my interest. The main issue for me was the inconsistency in momentum.
Still, I’m grateful to have read Bad Fiction.
Writers and those interested in the creative process will especially appreciate its vivid portrayal of workshop critiques and the emotional stakes of crafting a novel under intense scrutiny.
The publication date is February 26, 2026.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The novel offers an intriguing premise, and much of the execution is compelling, especially the phenomenal ending.
What makes this book particularly striking is how it challenges conventional narratives around sexual harassment and assault. Ley flips expectations about who the aggressor can be and explores the complex dynamics of disbelief and victim treatment within these situations. Importantly, while the story includes some detailed consensual sexual scenes, descriptions of the non-consensual relationship are handled sensitively and are not graphic.
A clever narrative device is the inclusion of Reddit posts, including an Am I The Asshole? (AITA) thread, where men discuss experiences of sexual harassment by a professor. This adds a modern, relatable layer to the story.
As a work of literary fiction, Bad Fiction delivers a sharp critique of power imbalances in academia and the troubling culture of tacit approval surrounding sexual harassment and assault within these institutions.
However, the pacing is uneven. At times, the story drags with lengthy descriptions of mundane details that don’t always serve character or plot development.
I do not need to like characters in order to appreciate a book. In this book, while I didn’t find the characters particularly likable, that didn’t diminish my interest. The main issue for me was the inconsistency in momentum.
Still, I’m grateful to have read Bad Fiction.
Writers and those interested in the creative process will especially appreciate its vivid portrayal of workshop critiques and the emotional stakes of crafting a novel under intense scrutiny.
The publication date is February 26, 2026.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 27, 2025
Well look at that; I'm the first 5 star review for a book that currently has *checks notes* an average of 2.7! What blasphemy.
On the surface this is a book about positions of power, sexual assault and who believes who. It's set in England at a university where a prestigious author teaches a writing course that EVERYONE wants in to, and rumours circulate about the relationships this writer has with their students. Ah, but the roles are reversed! Sofie (wisdom) is the teacher and she courts students of both sexes. Our protagonist is Alice (as in, Wonderland) and she falls for a boy called Walt (as in, Whitman). However, Sofie turns her attention to Walt. This creates a memetic rivalry between them. Eventually the male falls out of favour and Alice becomes the star pupil. He attempts to expose Sofie and asks Alice to believe him...
In among all this is Sofie's first student love and later wife and then later ex-wife and then later still a sort of muse slash ruse. Her name is...Jocasta. Yes, as in Oedipus. Yes, there is a lot of memetic rivalry going on here. I won't spell it all out for fear of spoilers, but needless to say, Girard would have a field day.
However, the book is actually about the publishing industry, which even more than the field of sexual favours is rife with copying and plagiarism. Sofie is the publisher. Let's be real - no one person, especially not an author, holds any sort of sway on getting published. She comes across as a Literary God but her powers are unbelievable. She is a stand in for the gatekeepers that are publishers. The novel was first for women (Jocasta) then we brought up the white male for a time (Walt) and now the new fashion is young women as in Alice. Alice holds a job at a juice factory. She questions why anyone would buy juice, the good pulp mashed out and thrown away leaving only sweet delights that appear nutritional. A perfect metaphor for the market for books. Olena is the hard working editor, whereas Alice is the face, so to speak, of the business. And so on and so forth.
A very clever book, and therefore an outstanding debut. If you like satire and you like a well-stuck landing, this is the book for you.
On the surface this is a book about positions of power, sexual assault and who believes who. It's set in England at a university where a prestigious author teaches a writing course that EVERYONE wants in to, and rumours circulate about the relationships this writer has with their students. Ah, but the roles are reversed! Sofie (wisdom) is the teacher and she courts students of both sexes. Our protagonist is Alice (as in, Wonderland) and she falls for a boy called Walt (as in, Whitman). However, Sofie turns her attention to Walt. This creates a memetic rivalry between them. Eventually the male falls out of favour and Alice becomes the star pupil. He attempts to expose Sofie and asks Alice to believe him...
In among all this is Sofie's first student love and later wife and then later ex-wife and then later still a sort of muse slash ruse. Her name is...Jocasta. Yes, as in Oedipus. Yes, there is a lot of memetic rivalry going on here. I won't spell it all out for fear of spoilers, but needless to say, Girard would have a field day.
However, the book is actually about the publishing industry, which even more than the field of sexual favours is rife with copying and plagiarism. Sofie is the publisher. Let's be real - no one person, especially not an author, holds any sort of sway on getting published. She comes across as a Literary God but her powers are unbelievable. She is a stand in for the gatekeepers that are publishers. The novel was first for women (Jocasta) then we brought up the white male for a time (Walt) and now the new fashion is young women as in Alice. Alice holds a job at a juice factory. She questions why anyone would buy juice, the good pulp mashed out and thrown away leaving only sweet delights that appear nutritional. A perfect metaphor for the market for books. Olena is the hard working editor, whereas Alice is the face, so to speak, of the business. And so on and so forth.
A very clever book, and therefore an outstanding debut. If you like satire and you like a well-stuck landing, this is the book for you.
October 20, 2025
I was really intrigued by the premise of this. Bad Fiction (UK release 25th Sept 2026) is a smart, pacy exploration of human cravings – for sex, companionship, success, fame, validation – and the self-delusion of which, knowingly or not, people can be capable when the temptations are too great.
Alice and Walt are students on a creative writing course, mentored by Sofie, a beuatiful, successful middle-aged author known for her idiosyncratic relationships with her class – shattering them with no-nonsense criticism, then boosting and coaching them closely when she senses real talent.
As rumours begin to circulate about Sofie – inappropriate relationships with students, plagiarism of their work – her class starts to ventilate their own concerns, and anonymous posts appear online.
There’s no smoke without fire, some say. Didn’t she used to be married to Jocasta, one of her students?
Is this just misogyny – a suspicion of successful women, stoked bitterly by unsuccessful men – or an attempt to dismiss #MeToo by claiming men are just as vulnerable? Is it, in itself, misogynist to suggest that women are not capable of the same venal, predatory corruption which is almost expected of their male counterparts?
Walt has something to say, but Alice can’t hear it – dazzled as she is by Sofia and the future she’s offering.
Ley slices her characters into the slow-cooker of sexual politics and power in an academic setting and lets it simmer, occasionally spitting hot.
Her prose – at times bleakly funny, always striking and graceful – is packed with insight into human weakness, expediency, and vanity. Alice is a terrific, spiky, protagonist: as vain as any of her classmates, but with an unexpected strength that carries her through the more shocking plot turns, though not without cost.
Quite compelling and not scared to surface the worst in people and examine it.
Alice and Walt are students on a creative writing course, mentored by Sofie, a beuatiful, successful middle-aged author known for her idiosyncratic relationships with her class – shattering them with no-nonsense criticism, then boosting and coaching them closely when she senses real talent.
As rumours begin to circulate about Sofie – inappropriate relationships with students, plagiarism of their work – her class starts to ventilate their own concerns, and anonymous posts appear online.
There’s no smoke without fire, some say. Didn’t she used to be married to Jocasta, one of her students?
Is this just misogyny – a suspicion of successful women, stoked bitterly by unsuccessful men – or an attempt to dismiss #MeToo by claiming men are just as vulnerable? Is it, in itself, misogynist to suggest that women are not capable of the same venal, predatory corruption which is almost expected of their male counterparts?
Walt has something to say, but Alice can’t hear it – dazzled as she is by Sofia and the future she’s offering.
Ley slices her characters into the slow-cooker of sexual politics and power in an academic setting and lets it simmer, occasionally spitting hot.
Her prose – at times bleakly funny, always striking and graceful – is packed with insight into human weakness, expediency, and vanity. Alice is a terrific, spiky, protagonist: as vain as any of her classmates, but with an unexpected strength that carries her through the more shocking plot turns, though not without cost.
Quite compelling and not scared to surface the worst in people and examine it.
August 4, 2025
2✨
Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Sarah Ley and HarperCollins for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review - Bad Fiction publishes February 26th 2026.
Bad Fiction follows Alice and Walt who sign up for Sofie Muller’s prestigious creative writing class. Alice craves greatness and Sofie Muller can shape writers into stars, but at what cost?
As Alice falls deeper under Sofie’s spell, she’s forced to confront how far she's willing to go for the success she’s always wanted.
I was really excited to get into this book as the blurb sounded so intriguing. From the get go you’re instantly suspicious of Sofie’s behaviour at the bookstore. Rebecca does a great job of making you question everything written and what it really means.
However as the book went on I was left feeling frustrated with all of the characters.
I found it incredibly hard to root for any of them, even with their individual storylines, they were all frustrating and I wanted to shake them to give them a wake up call!!
How Alice let Molly continuously treat her, which had a very unsatisfying resolution was disappointing. I found Alice very unlikeable with her treatment of Walt (the audacity of her asking why didn’t you tell sooner, given her response to him?!?) and her naivety.
Jo and Sofie was one of the most frustrating elements. Although I initially was proud that Jo had left Sofie, and we hear the reasons why later in the story, it was then even more frustrating seeing the way she allowed Sofie to treat her and voluntarily put herself in so many positions she shouldn’t have been in when she had stood strong to get a divorce in the first place.
I kept reading and waiting for things to work out and it never did. No justice was given which left me really disappointed. I loved the premise of this book but it unfortunately wasn’t for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Sarah Ley and HarperCollins for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review - Bad Fiction publishes February 26th 2026.
Bad Fiction follows Alice and Walt who sign up for Sofie Muller’s prestigious creative writing class. Alice craves greatness and Sofie Muller can shape writers into stars, but at what cost?
As Alice falls deeper under Sofie’s spell, she’s forced to confront how far she's willing to go for the success she’s always wanted.
I was really excited to get into this book as the blurb sounded so intriguing. From the get go you’re instantly suspicious of Sofie’s behaviour at the bookstore. Rebecca does a great job of making you question everything written and what it really means.
However as the book went on I was left feeling frustrated with all of the characters.
I found it incredibly hard to root for any of them, even with their individual storylines, they were all frustrating and I wanted to shake them to give them a wake up call!!
How Alice let Molly continuously treat her, which had a very unsatisfying resolution was disappointing. I found Alice very unlikeable with her treatment of Walt (the audacity of her asking why didn’t you tell sooner, given her response to him?!?) and her naivety.
Jo and Sofie was one of the most frustrating elements. Although I initially was proud that Jo had left Sofie, and we hear the reasons why later in the story, it was then even more frustrating seeing the way she allowed Sofie to treat her and voluntarily put herself in so many positions she shouldn’t have been in when she had stood strong to get a divorce in the first place.
I kept reading and waiting for things to work out and it never did. No justice was given which left me really disappointed. I loved the premise of this book but it unfortunately wasn’t for me.
August 14, 2025
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*
Bad Fiction follows Alice who is in Sofia Muller’s creative writing class. Alice alongside her friend, Walt want Sofie to guide them to become bestsellers and great writers. Sofie is a bestselling author and known for making people into better writers. There are rumours about Sofie though and the question is how they will impact Alice and her potential success.
This book has a really great beginning and I was very intrigued to read this. I enjoyed the conversations in this around female predators and the power dynamics between professors and students. I enjoyed the writing and for the most part the story was intriguing. I did kind of lose interest in this around 60% in and I just don’t think this went far enough. I did enjoy the ending but I do think this was just a little too flat. That said, this author shows a lot of promise and I can see them being successful.
Bad Fiction follows Alice who is in Sofia Muller’s creative writing class. Alice alongside her friend, Walt want Sofie to guide them to become bestsellers and great writers. Sofie is a bestselling author and known for making people into better writers. There are rumours about Sofie though and the question is how they will impact Alice and her potential success.
This book has a really great beginning and I was very intrigued to read this. I enjoyed the conversations in this around female predators and the power dynamics between professors and students. I enjoyed the writing and for the most part the story was intriguing. I did kind of lose interest in this around 60% in and I just don’t think this went far enough. I did enjoy the ending but I do think this was just a little too flat. That said, this author shows a lot of promise and I can see them being successful.
September 11, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2 / 5 stars.
Ah I really wanted to love this. The premise is brilliant and I was so excited by it. Alice and Walt are students who dream of being as famous and respected as their bestselling author and tutor Sofie but there are rumours around Sofie's methods of producing great writers and how far she pushes them.
For me, I couldn't connect with the characters. I found Alice and Walt unlikeable and I just didn't care about them. I was hoping to be more gripped throughout, I found it quite slow in pace in parts and it lost my attention at points - it lacked an oomph and I felt it should have been a bit more explosive. Great premise but the story didn't quite reach it for me.
2 / 5 stars.
Ah I really wanted to love this. The premise is brilliant and I was so excited by it. Alice and Walt are students who dream of being as famous and respected as their bestselling author and tutor Sofie but there are rumours around Sofie's methods of producing great writers and how far she pushes them.
For me, I couldn't connect with the characters. I found Alice and Walt unlikeable and I just didn't care about them. I was hoping to be more gripped throughout, I found it quite slow in pace in parts and it lost my attention at points - it lacked an oomph and I felt it should have been a bit more explosive. Great premise but the story didn't quite reach it for me.
September 17, 2025
thank you to netgalley & harper fiction for the ARC – this sounded intriguing but was unfortunately not for me! i am not opposed to a premise that interrogates how women can be toxic, abusive, etc (and a campus novel is a great site for those power dynamics to play out) but ultimately this felt weirdly paced throughout, and unsatisfactorily resolved. i felt a little as if i was reading the equivalent of a straight-to-streaming series that hit all the predictable marks and seemed to be structured around big reveals, but ultimately left me underwhelmed.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I DNF'd this book pretty quickly. I have no patience for unfocused and meandering fiction that's self-indulgent in this way. It felt like, instead of characters and a cohesive narrative, the author had come up with jokes and VERY detailed observations she liked and merely constructed scenes in which to put them.
Bad Fiction, indeed.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction / The Borough Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Fiction, indeed.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction / The Borough Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews